In The Dark
by TheObsoleteOne
Summary: When the Avengers get sent to destroy a possibly dangerous experiment, what they find is unexpected. An oc story. Will eventually be Oc/Oc and femmeslash. Don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

Tony Stark sighed heavily as he reluctantly put down what he was working on and went towards where his suit was kept. Cap had just issued a message to all of them telling them to suit up and meet outside Stark Tower, of course not giving any details away.

"At least there is some benefit from letting everyone stay here. Well, that and being able to enjoy Clint's cooking." Tony muttered to himself as he stepped into the Mark VII armour before flying down to the bottom of the tower, where Clint, Natasha and Steve were already standing. Thor had decided to not stay on Earth, and was keeping watch over Loki in Asgard for the time being.

"So Cap, I assume Fury told you what the plan is, as you two are BFFs and all that." Steve simply sighed, too used to Tony's attitude to let it annoy him now.

"I only have a basic idea of what we're doing, and I would prefer to wait until Dr Banner is here with us."

"Speak of the giant green monster" Tony said as Bruce walked out, looking as shy and cautious as always.

"Are you sure that you need the other guy for this? There aren't many situations that he is useful in that don't involve masses of fighting" Bruce said, looking at the ground.

"Don't worry Dr Banner, we don't need the hulk for this, we need you" Steve said encouragingly. "Now that we are all here, I can say what the plan is. It is very important that we carry this out properly"

"Ok Captain dramatic, what is it then?" Tony asked, rolling his eyes.

"It actually relates to you Stark" Steve said "Apparently some shady underground organisation has been attempting to recreate the Iron Man armour and has set up an experiment that might succeed. We have to go and destroy the experiment for good."

"Why do I have a feeling there is more to this than Fury is saying?" Clint asked

"Look, we have to trust SHIELD. Questioning them has never led to anything good before." Steve replied firmly. "Now, Iron Man, here are the co ordinates, everyone else we are taking the jet to the lab where this experiment is occurring. Rendezvous and get instructions there, let's go!" Immediately, Tony took off into the air, getting JARVIS to keep tabs on the other member of the team in case they ran into any trouble. "Remind me to make some sort of Avengers emergency pager later JARVIS"

"Of course sir." JARVIS replied with a slightly approving tone. Whose brilliant idea was it to give him a personality?

Tony deliberately took his time getting to the location, not wanting to wait around for the others if he got there early. When he did arrive, he only had to wait a few minutes until Steve, Clint and Natasha jumped out of the still airborne jet and approached him. Bruce waited till it was lowered to the ground before leaving of course.

Steve was straight to business. "Ok, so Iron Man, you bust in and go straight for the experiment before it can be turned against us. Hawkeye, Black Widow and I will take care of the guards. We aren't expecting too much resistance as this is a lab, so there should only be a few people. Banner, stay here to avoid any… incedents and once the experiment is retrieved, you work with Iron Man to destroy it. Simple job guys, move out!" Tony quickly went to the sealed doors and blasted them open.

"You could have hacked it Iron Man!" Steve hissed.

"You know that going in quietly is not my style Cap" tony replied easily and quickly raced off.

"Jarvis, get me a layout of this place." A map was quickly conjured up, and he began searching around for the experiment, slightly curious about what he'd find and whether anyone else had gotten his designs correct.

Meanwhile, the others had quickly dispatched the two guards that were stationed outside the main area, which turned out to be a simple job as they were new to the job and also quite startled by the flash of red and gold that flew by them.

"Iron man, guards are down. What's your status?" Steve asked through his headset.

"Found the area, Cap. But something is not right"

"In what way?" Steve asked, motioning to the others to follow him to the area where Tony was currently.

"Well, they have a table with straps on it for holding someone down. Isn't that a bit odd for you?" Tony inquired "and, there seems to be a cell room of some sor- holy shit!"

"What is it? Are you alright?" Steve ran into the room with the others close behind. They saw Tony with his faceplate up, staring into the cell and what they saw shocked them.

Inside the cell, there appeared to be a teenage girl. She was in a school uniform that included a shirt that must have been white at some point, but was now caked in blood and dirt so only patches of white were visible now as well as a navy blue skirt. She was curled up on her side, with short brown hair only covering part of her face.

"Please tell me this isn't the experiment." Natasha whispered. Finally, the girl seemed to notice them and squinted up at them.

"Please, no more tests. Please. They hurt." The girl whimpered as she raised her hands up in a feeble attempt to stop them.

"Dear God no…" Steve whispered as they saw her hands. There, facing them, were replicas of the Iron Man repulsor beams imbedded in her hands.

"What have they done to her?" Clint asked angrily.

"I don't know, but we will find out." Tony said grimly.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Ok, I just want to say thanks for the people who reviewed, I will try and get this story up reasonably fast. Will be difficult with school, etc but I'll try my hardest. Sorry that this one is short by the way, necessary but boring chap, in my opinion.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own, only the oc is mine :).

* * *

They could all tell that the girl was quickly losing consciousness, and her hands were trembling badly with the effort of keeping them held up. Finally, with a sigh, she slumped onto the floor.

"Guys, search the room for records of the experiments run on this girl. We need to know exactly what they wanted to do and how much of it they achieved." Steve commanded, already in Captain Mode.

"Ummm, not meaning to ruin your plans Cap, but there is a passed out girl that may need to be taken care of. Just saying." Tony chipped in.

"I'll take her out to Bruce, he can make sure that she is fine to be taken back to Stark Tower. We definitely cannot take her to a normal hospital, and I am reluctant to hand her over to SHIELD right now."

"Do you think that they knew about her?" Clint asked, curious.

"And still wanted us to kill her? I hope not!" Natasha stated angrily.

"I'll deal with SHIELD and Fury, you guys look for info now." Steve responded, going over to where the girl was laying limply. He gently lifted her up bridal style and ran out of the building as fast as he could with out injuring her further.

As he left the building, Steve frantically looked around for Bruce and spotted him over near the jet.

"Dr Banner!" he yelled as he ran over, "I need you to look over this girl as soon as possible, she does not seem to be in good condition." Bruce simply nodded and took her onto the jet just as the others rushed out of the building.

"Cap, I found some experiment logs and had JARVIS upload a copy of them. We should be able to find out exactly what was going on." Tony stated.

"Good. I want you to head straight off the your tower and make sure whatever medical facilities I'm sure you have are prepped for the girl to be treated, then I want you to go through the logs. We need to find out what happened as soon as possible. Everyone else, we're taking the jet back. Then I'm going to have a word with SHIELD." Tony immediately flew off as fast as possible, whilst the rest got onto the jet.

"Shit, what happened to her? Sorry for the swearing Captain, but this looks bad." Bruce said, horrified.

"That's what Tony is going to find out." Steve stated firmly. These people had a lot to answer for.

"Captain Rogers, good to see you back so quickly. I trust the experiment was destroyed?" Fury asked Steve, his projected face staring down from the screen.

"About that, were you aware of the experiment actually being a teenage girl?" Steve retorted.

"Yes, we were. Unfortunately her existence was a possible threat to SHIELD and all the work we do. If she was able to function as well as Ironman, we would have issues." Steve was amazed.

"But she's a girl! This wasn't her choice!" Steve couldn't believe that they expected him to "destroy" an innocent girl, this was not the America that he stood for.

"Girl or not, this was necessary. You need to make tough decisions in this line of work Captain. Fury out." His image went black on the screen. Steve couldn't believe that Fury thought they would have gone through with killing the girl. Oh well, the less he knows the better, he thought.

Bruce was just finishing doing a check of all the girl's injuries, and was currently working to stabilise her.

"How is she?" Natasha asked, making Bruce jump. How could she be so quiet?

"Not good, but she'll live. It looks lik-"

"How is she?" Steve demanded, rushing in.

"Well, as I was saying, she- For the love of god!" At that moment, both Tony and Clint came in, looking concerned.

"What's going on with her?" Clint asked

"If everyone is done interrupting, I'll tell you. It's not nice."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Don't own, never will :)

* * *

"So what is wrong with her?" Steve asked urgently.

"Well, they have basically placed a repulsor in the palm of both of her hands, as well as the jets in her feet. There is a crudely designed version of the arc reactor that has been placed in her chest as well. It seems that they thought that they would need it to power the jets and repulsors, but had not worked it out yet so all of these items are basically useless." Bruce stated.

"So they can be removed?" Tony asked.

"They could, but they have been in her hands, etc for a long time. The skin has healed around them, and they have been accepted as part of her body. It would be up to her." Bruce replied.

"Ok, but how is she physically?" Steve inquired.

"Not good, but she will survive it. Her hands and feet are heavily scarred around the surgery areas, it is obvious that they were not worrying about the aesthetics. There is also heavy scarring around her replacement reactor, plus signs of malnutrition and moderate starvation. Bruises from her restraints when she was on the table can be seen, which leads me to suspect that she was awake for the surgeries." Bruce replied, his voice wavering as he listed her injuries. They all stood there in stunned silence, looking at the girl in question. Her dark brown hair was tangled and unevenly cut, making it obvious that it hadn't been tended to in a long time.

"What are we going to do with her?" Bruce asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, we are not just going to ditch her when she wakes up, that would be too harsh." Clint simply said.

"Easy solution then, she'll live here with us. She can stay on the same floor as Ms Romanoff here, I'll get a room organised for her. Simple." Everyone was shocked that Tony was so easy going about this, and was further surprised when Natasha nodded in agreement.

"That sounds like the best plan." She said, not elaborating.

"Ok then that might work. Stark, what have you gotten from the logs of the scientists?" Steve quickly asked.

"Well, apparently these idiots did not have the funds to properly plagiarise my creations, and needed a cheaper solution that would get them more funding. Records say that they wanted someone no one would miss much, to lessen any complications or backlash. Says here that this girl is subject 1, original name Tanaya Swift, no mention of parents, perfect candidate. Apparently, 'subject was resistant to goals… doubtful whether she would perform for us if needed'" Tony replied.

"They also explain the fact that they did not put her to sleep when operating. They were trying to save money wherever they could." JARVIS piped in. Natasha could not believe it. These people had laid it out so logically and clinically, completely ignoring the fact that Tanaya was a human being. Even Tony looked disturbed, and was crushed at the thought of his invention inspiring this treatment of a teenage girl.

"How old is she?" Steve asked stonily. When Tony did not reply, JARVIS supplied her age for him.

"She was 16 Mr Rogers." Even he sounded regretful as he said it.

After the rundown of her injuries, everyone agreed on Tanaya staying in Stark Tower, as long as she wanted to. If she was completely against the idea, they would figure out a safe way to relocate her. Bruce had explained that it should only be a short amount of time until she finally woke up, and they all wanted to be there when she did.

So there they sat/stood, in various positions around Tanaya's bed, occupying the time in different ways. Tony was tinkering with a hastily put together signalling device in the far corner, looking more settles now that he was performing a familiar task. Bruce was flitting between the medication cabinet and the various beeping machines, keeping a keen eye on everything whilst Steve, Clint and Natasha just stood in absolute silence, watching everything warily. They were all scared of what was going to be said when the girl woke up, or if she would be speaking to them at all. Steve was still concerned about SHIELD and what would happen when they found out, and decided to talk to both Natasha and Clint a bit later to see if they would be happy to keep quiet about it. It was a dangerous situation after all.

His thoughts were interrupted when the girl groaned a bit, and started opening her eyes. They all looked up, alert instantly and prepared for what was to come.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own, would be nice to though :).

* * *

Slowly, Tanaya opened her eyes and looked around the room. When she saw that she was surrounded by people, her eyes widened and she instantly attempted to spring out of the hospital bed.

"Whoa, stop! You'll hurt yourself even more!" Bruce cried as he rushed forward to restrain her.

"Wait, I haven't seen you before. There are only a few scientists that come to test me, so are you new?" Tanaya asked groggily, looking confused. Come to think of it, the whole room looked unfamiliar. Maybe they were finally showing their superiors the results they had gotten so far. Tony, seeing her rushed thought process, quickly spoke up to reassure her.

"It's ok Tanaya, we got you out of that place and want to help you, ok?"

"Not to be rude, but who are you guys? And how do you know who I am?" Now that she was more alert, everyone could hear a clear accent making itself known.

"Of course!" Steve stated excitedly and made sure to introduce everyone in the room and was about to get to Tony when he interrupted as expected.

"And there's me, the handsome billionaire/superhero that you know as Tony Stark." He stated proudly, but Tanaya just looked confused.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really know who you are. Any of you." She said apologetically. The team looked at each other, confused. Had she not heard of the Avengers? How long had she been in that lab?

"Just wondering, how long were you in that place?" Bruce asked tentatively. Tanaya seemed to think for a bit.

"October 2011 was when I was taken, I think." She said, "And I am sorry for not knowing who you are, but I never watched TV, so I am obviously a bit behind."

"We need to talk to you about some things, Tanaya. First of all, do you have any family that we can contact?" Natasha suspected that she knew what the answer was, but didn't want to assume anything. Tanaya looked down and started fiddling with the white hospital sheets, "there's no on to call." She mumbled, feeling awkward. "My mum is dead, and my dad and sister moved away as soon as she died." Her attempt at nonchalance was unsuccessful, but no one wanted to pry. Not yet anyway.

"Well, it is up to you where you stay for the time being. Mr Stark here is happy to let you stay with us in his home, but if you feel uncomfortable with that we can organise other arrangements." Steve said sensibly. Tanaya looked up, amazed at the offer. Everyone was looking kindly at her, and they seemed to be nice people. She felt safe with them, but needed to clarify something first.

"I hate to have to point it out, but it would be expensive to house me as well as your friends, and we would take up a lot of room. Do you have enough money and space for us all? It would be difficult for you if you didn't and I don't want to burden you anymore than is necessary." Tony could do nothing but stare in disbelief at her, in his opinion, serious lack of knowledge.

"Don't worry, Tony has many issues, none of which are money though." Natasha said kindly, "He will not be inconvenienced at all." Tanaya nodded gratefully "Thank you so much then, I think I'd prefer to stay with you guys, I trust you and you seem relatively normal." She gave them all a bright smile and noticed that they all seem worried about something. "Oh. Do you guys have a problem with the things they put in my hands? I know that they are not nice, I can cover them up if you like." They were quick to reassure her that they had no problem with her additions. "We're not so free of weirdness either Tanaya. See, we are called the Avengers and-" Steve quickly shut Clint up with a sharp glare. "We will explain later, but what I want to know now is how much you know about what has been done to you?" Steve was not unkind, Tanaya thought, but he seemed to be a bit too serious than he needed to be.

"Well, I was told that they were trying to model me after some guy called Ironman. That's why they put the things in my hands and feet, but I have no idea about the reasoning behind the thing in my chest. All of these things seem kinda useless now too."

Tony felt guilty, it was his designs they were trying to copy, and they used this girl for it. He did not want this hanging over his head. "I am Ironman Tanaya, I created the suit of armour that was the basis of those experiments. I'm so sorry that it affected you." Everyone was shocked to hear him apologise for anything, let alone something he hadn't even done wrong. Tanaya assured him that she did not blame him at all, it was not his fault, but that she would like to see him in action one day. "I think we can arrange that, you'll love the suit. Everyone does. Now, we should probably give you some time to rest. Hope you sleep well." With that, he swept out of the room, leaving everyone stunned in his wake. Slowly, everyone else left, saying their goodbyes as they went. "Natasha? Do you mind if I ask you something?" Tanaya timidly asked. Natasha nodded kindly and waited till all but Bruce had left the room. "I don't really have any clothes or anything, I can possibly get access to my bank account, but I was wondering if you could take me to some cheap clothes stores? Asking one of the guys would have been a bit awkward." Tanaya laughed nervously, waiting for rejection. "Of course I will, as soon as Bruce says you can walk around, it'll be a date." Tanaya smiled, relieved.

"Thank you so much, I really look forward to it."

* * *

Reviews would be appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Tanaya was extremely nervous. Bruce had finally told her that she could walk around regularly, so Natasha was taking her out clothes shopping. She had been in the medical area for a week, and everyone had come into visit, even though they really did not know her. She appreciated the effort that they put into getting to know her, and she felt safe around them. Tanaya could not help feeling slightly worried about spending an extended amount of time with Natasha who, although being very kind to her, had not been with her for longer than a few minutes. There was also the fact of money. Her mum had left her some money when she died, but it was limited and she definitely could not afford to get any decent clothes. She did not want to be embarrassed in front of Natasha when she saw how little money she had. She looked up from where she was staring at the pavement to see Natasha standing right in front of her. "Ah!" she exclaimed, jerking back out of instinct. "It's good to see that my clothes fit you ok." Natasha commented, looking at the black jumper and jeans that Tanaya was wearing. "Are you ready to go?" Tanaya nodded in response, following Natasha to a black car parked nearby.

Once they got inside the car, there was a beat of awkward silence before Natasha told the driver to take them to the nearest shopping centre. The ride there was mostly silent, with Tanaya content to just take in her surroundings, so the silence was not awkward at all. Eventually they pulled up outside a massive shopping centre and she was ushered out of the car by Natasha and they walked inside before stopping at the base of the escalators. "So, first thing. You are not spending any money today." Natasha stated matter-of-factly. Tanaya was about to protest, but Natasha continued, "I know that you only have your mother's money to spend. We have Tony's, so feel free to buy whatever clothes you want." Tanaya was feeling overwhelmed and more than a little bit guilty. Her mother never had much money, but always attempted to get what was needed, the thought of buying whatever clothes she wanted was too much. Instead of arguing, she nodded dumbly and looked around, a little lost. Natasha, sensing her confusion, asked her what types of clothes she was into. "I'm kind of into different style clothes, retro stuff, but not too old. Probably not many places here like that." Tanaya started fidgeting with the long sleeves on the jumper, worried about being labelled. She'd had enough of that back home to last a lifetime.

After a moment, Natasha led Tanaya through the centre to a small shop towards to back. It was cluttered inside, with an assortment of dresses, skirts and shirts all hung up in various places. In the middle of the store was a selection of shoes, all "alternative" in style. It was perfect. Natasha settled herself in the corner, where she could keep an eye on things whilst being out of the way. "Um, I'm just going to try these things on, do you mind, well, waiting near and giving me an opinion? I want to know if I look s-silly." Tanaya looked way too nervous asking for something many girls simply expected. "Of course, just stick your hand out and I'll be there." She was glad that Tanaya didn't know about their superhero status, it would just make her more scared about asking for things. A short time later, Tanaya was standing uncomfortably whilst Natasha inspected her outShe was wearing a black dress with bright red buttons going up it and a red bow around her waist and ankle boots with silver skull buttons. "You look great, you are getting more right? You can't live off one dress forever." The compliment seemed to bolster Tanaya's confidence and she started going around the store once more, grabbing things quickly. When she was done, Natasha gave her a credit card to pay with and she quickly went up to the friendly cashier.

"Nice choices, are we re-doing our wardrobe?" The lady asked with a smile. "In a sense" Tanaya responded, reaching out to pay. Suddenly, the lady's smile disappeared and she looked horrified, staring at something. Tanaya followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at. It was the repulsor sitting in her palm. She quickly snatched her hand away, and rushed past Natasha towards where she knew the bathrooms were. Confused, Natasha quickly moved to pay for the clothes as the girl whispered to her "What was up with her hands?" With the realisation of what happened, Natasha quickly followed Tanaya's path to the bathroom, where she found her staring at her shaking hands with tears running down her face. "They're hideous. Why did they have to do such a dodgy job with the incisions? I can't stand the thought of people looking at me like she did. I hadn't even thought that it might happen. Stupid of me." She muttered, looking defeated. Natasha moved to put an arm around her, just being there. Eventually, she whispered to Tanaya, telling her to put her hands in her pockets and follow her out.

Natasha left Tanaya in the food court as she ran off to do something. Tanaya was feeling ashamed at the way she reacted; Natasha must have thought she was pathetic. She made sure that her hands were kept out of sight as she sat there, waiting for her to return. When she did, she was carrying a small bag that she gently placed in front of Tanaya, who gingerly opened it and smiled widely at what she saw. Inside was a pair of black fingerless gloves that laced up on the black "These are amazing, thank you so much!" she exclaimed whilst pulling them on her hands. She inspected them for a moment before suddenly hugging Natasha as hard as she could. Although surprised at first, Natasha soon returned the hug and smiled to herself. She made a mental not to tell the others about Tanaya's new found reluctance to show her hands, if they asked too many questions she could get upset. Natasha would kill anyone who made her upset.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Don't own, except for Tanaya :)

**A/N: **I am trying to get these up as fast as I can in between homework and study... Hope you enjoy! Please review with any comments/ideas :D

* * *

Tanaya and Natasha arrived back in time for lunch, which Clint cheerfully made almost every day. Walking toward the kitchen, Natasha told Tanaya to eat, saying that she had something to do before she could join her. Tanaya happily went off to join Clint inside, where he was cooking eggs benedict (Steve was already sitting on a bar stool near the bench). They both smiled at her as she went to the fridge and grabbed a Chinotto, no one ever understood her obsession with those drinks but Tony made sure to not let them run out. Clint always cooked enough food to serve an army, just in case Thor decided to join them one day (Tanaya wanted to meet this Thor, he sounded like he would be great to be around).

"So what did you get with Natasha? Aside from the gloves of course, they look awesome by the way" Clint asked, mixing together some sort of yellow sauce. Tanaya briefly explained what she got, and showed them both her favourite items of clothing, slightly apprehensive about what their opinion would be. They both seemed to approve, so she was content for now.

Meanwhile, Natasha entered Tony's work room where he was carefully going through the notes that the scientists working on Tanaya had recorded. "Tony, you've been looking at those notes since we got Tanaya out of that place. You're going to go mad soon." She sighed. Tony looked up, but didn't seem to want to stop studying the experiments. Obviously she had to entice him with another project, preferably something to do with Tanaya. He seemed to have developed a soft spot for her. He always visited her when she was on bed rest, and obviously cared a lot for her in a fatherly way.

"I have some ideas on how to design Tanaya's room, I am assuming that she wouldn't want to stay in the med bay for too long." That seemed to get his interest, as he immediately got up a holographic diagram of a room and started rambling. "Ok, I have an idea about the shape and size of the room that she could have. She doesn't seem the type to want a massive room, but I do want to get her a private bathroom, I also want to get her a good bed as she seems to have had problems sleeping in the past and I don't want her drinking like me, so should probably figure out some of her hobbies. What are your ideas?" he looked expectantly at Natasha, who quickly responded. "She seems to enjoy retro/modern style things and I think we should ask her about her hobbies over lunch. You need a break Tony." She didn't know at what point she started liking or caring about him, but she worried that he wasn't eating as much as he should. Tony eventually agreed and followed her out to the kitchen, whatever Clint was cooking smelt good.

They entered as Clint, Steve and Tanaya were beginning to eat a mixture of eggs, bread and salmon. Tony went over to Tanaya and kissed her head in greeting before grabbing a plate for himself and sitting next to her. It was clear that he cared for Tanaya, and was not afraid to show it. Natasha smiled at her before getting some food as well. "So, what are you into? We don't want you getting bored now that you are allowed to walk around on your own." Tony asked immediately, Natasha rolled her eyes. Subtle. "Well, I play the Xbox a lot, and love anime. I was paid out in school for being a nerd back in Australia. Oh, I also used to read a lot of Victorian novels like Dracula." Tanaya replied shyly, "But don't worry about getting any of this stuff for me, you've done more than enough" Tony agreed, and they finished their meals in silence. Tony left to go back to his work room first with a gleam in his eye. As soon as he entered the room, he rattled instructions off to JARVIS. He had a room to design.

"So Tanaya" Steve began, "if you wanted, I could show you around the Tower" so far he had been unable to get past the fact that he was going meant to kill her and seemed nervous. "Sure, that would be nice. Let's go!" Tanaya responded and followed him out of the room towards to elevator. Steve took her to the various floors that they all lived on, and made sure she knew where to go if she needed one of them. Soon, he walked her back to the med bay where she was to wait for Bruce to check up on her before leaving her alone after she refused to let him stay. "I'm sure that you have more important things to do, I am fine on my own for a bit." As soon as he was gone, she was at a loss as to what she should do. Suddenly, she remembered what Clint called them. The "Avengers". Couldn't hurt to do a bit of research, could it? "Um, JARVIS?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes Miss Tanaya?" "Are there any computers in here?" she was directed to a tablet that was most likely designed by Tony and searched for Avengers. Immediately, numerous videos came up showing a group fighting what appeared to be aliens of some sort. When she looked closer, Tanaya recognised most of them. The comments on the video were all praising various people shown, with particular attention being paid to both Captain America (whom she assumed was Steve) and Ironman. Seeing him in action shocked her, it was obvious that she was meant to be as powerful as him yet, she was a failure. Natasha looked so lethal, a side that she hadn't seen yet and Clint was… Clint.

Who was the green guy? If he was one of the team, that meant it was either Bruce or this Thor guy smashing everything up. Wait, Thor was probably the guy in the red cape. Throwing lightning around. With a hammer.

_How is this possible_? Tanaya thought, _I live with these people? _She started to panic, this was a lot to take in. there was obviously something different with these people, and they had what seemed to be powers. _Explains why they were so accepting, _she thought. Everything started looking blurry, and it was suddenly very difficult to breathe. Bruce entered the room, and immediately saw her bent over a tablet and breathing quickly with her hands trembling. He was bewildered until he went over to her and saw what was on the tablet. All the colour drained from his face as he helped her onto the bed, murmuring soothingly as he did so. He turned away and quickly called Tony (he had demanded to be contacted first in any situation, and Bruce could hardly refuse him). This was not a good way for her to react, and he didn't know what she thought of them now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Don't own

**A/N: **Read and Review!

* * *

Tony contacted the others, and pretty soon they were all gathered at the side of Tanaya's bed, sharing worried looks as she slowly recovered from her panic attack. Tony had instantly rushed to her side, and after awkwardly hovering for a minute, started rubbing her back soothingly. It was strange how much his personality changed when he was around her, and how much she seemed to affect him. Natasha thought that it was purely due to his guilt over the experiments done to her, but he seemed to have developed a certain level of affection for her. Eventually, Tanaya calmed down and sagged back onto the bed, making sure to grab Tony's hand tightly as he attempted to stand with the others. _Well, she already knew about his other identity so it's only natural that she would trust him more._ Natasha thought, although it did not stop the idea of Tanaya not trusting her making her worry.

"So, can someone please tell me what this all is?" Tanaya asked, seeing as no one else looked like they were about to break the silence.

Tony rolled his eyes as Steve started to explain in his captain voice, "Well, we form a team called the Avengers, and we basically formed to protect Earth from an invading force called the Chitauri. Natasha and Clint are highly skilled agents for SHIELD and you know how Tony fights. I have been enhanced by a serum to possess more strength than a usual human, and I am sure that you saw the man wielding a hammer. He's Thor. You need to meet him to get the full force of his… personality." He seemed to list all of this in a professional way, and Tanaya could see everyone looking at her apprehensively, scared of how she would react. She decided to stall for time.

"By process of elimination, I am assuming that the green guy is Bruce here. How does that happen?" she was genuinely curious, and not at all judgemental. It was hard to link the image of the shy scientist who helped her while she was injured to the angry green monster that was tearing up the city. She noted that Bruce seemed pained at having to explain, at quickly moved on.

"This does explain a few things, but why didn't you guys tell me? It's not like I am the epitome of all things normal."

"Well, we were worried that you would freak out, and didn't want to cause you more stress than you have already handled." Natasha calmly explained. "We didn't want you to hate us." Bruce added quietly.

"Hate you? Why would I ever hate you? You've been so good to me" Tanaya seemed confused at the thought. "It's actually kinda cool that you guys are so badass!" Everyone was relieved, and Tony was quick to ask them all to leave so that he could talk to her privately. Now that a possible disaster had been averted, they were all too happy to comply.

"Ok, now I have two things to say." Tony started.

"That's got to be a first." Was the response he got. He continued on anyway.

"First, I want you to have this." He placed a small rectangular device in her hand. It looked like a Starkphone except smaller, her confusion showed on her face and he continued. "It is a signal device, press it and the team will be notified and will get your location, meaning that we can help you if you are in trouble. Genius idea, I know."

"But isn't it unlikely that I will ever need to use it? It seems a bit… overcautious" Tanaya tried and failed to hide the happiness that she got from the idea that she was cared enough by anyone to warrant this sort of device. Tony understood, he grew up with very few indicators that he was appreciated and would not let her turn out the way he did.

"I don't care if it is unlikely, I am not willing to have you at risk. What's the point in living with a bunch of heroes if none of them can help you? Seems slightly foolish to me." Tanaya decided not to argue, although she hoped that she wouldn't have to use it. "I also have these for you, based on what Natasha said was your style, I thought you would appreciate them." He continued, handing her a pair of gloves. They were white with black lace over the back and look expensive. "I know you already have a pair, but if something happened to them I don't really want you not going anywhere because of what people might think." Tanaya had not realised that anyone else had figured out the reasoning behind the gloves, but it made sense that Tony would. He had the arc reactor in his chest after all, and it was difficult to hide the blue glow behind normal t shirts. She began to say thank you when he began to speak again.

"Now these are made to be worn as often as you would possibly like, and I have used a super light and almost unrippable fabric because normal leather just isn't special enough for me." As he paused to take a breath, Tanaya decided to stop his rambling and lunged at him, pulling him into a bear hug. She wanted to convey all of the gratitude that she had felt over the time that she had lived there. Stunned for a second, Tony was hesitant as he returned the hug, this wasn't something that he was used to doing but Tanaya deserved to have good people in her life. He knew that the Avengers would do their best to be there for her, always.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Sorry that it's been so long, my friend just left school and I'm kinda screwed. We were the two people in our year who didn't feel the need to fit in with everyone and now it's just me. I never realised how difficult it is to be different when there is no one to back you up. Anyway, I'm feeling pretty negative and I hope that hasn't ruined my story. Enjoy

**Disclaimer: **Don't own.

* * *

"I told you to destroy the experiment Captain, and I do not understand why you could not follow through with the orders." Fury's voice echoed from the screen. Tony noticed that he looked pissed, but not quite as pissed as Steve. This was going to be good. "With all due respect Director, I could not 'destroy' a teenage girl who has done nothing wrong. The situation did not recquire such drastic measures to be taken." he was not backing down, and when Captain America decided that something is morally wrong, even Fury could see that he was not going to win.

"Fine, I will allow for her to be left alone under your care, but as soon as I hear that she has caused any problems I will be forced to step in." with that, his image disappeared.

"Well, now that's over with, let's forget everything that he said and move on!" Tony quipped cheerfully as they left the room.

Meanwhile, Tanaya was attempting to calm herself down whilst waiting for the team to come back from whatever business they had at the moment. She had just been told that there were things "that needed to be discussed" that involved them all. _Maybe they want me gone, _she thought to herself, _no, don't be too negative. They have been nothing but friendly to me, this is just about something simple. _

At that moment, they all entered the room and sat down around her. They all looked grim except Tony, but that was a normal occurrence so she wasn't worried too much.

"Now Tanaya, we need to decide on a few things. First of all, are you certain that you want to stay with us?" they all decided not to mention that there was little to no choice there, but Steve was just to polite to assume.

"Yes I am sure, you guys are great and I am really happy to be here." Was the firm response. Steve wuickly moved on, hiding his overwhelming relief at her answer.

"Ok, I think that we also need to enrol you in school as well. You seem to be a bright young lady and it is necessary for you to be in school." Tanaya tried not to show how panicked she got at the idea of going back to school. She never really fit in with other people and the thought of being picked on again was not very appealing.

Tony noticed that Tanaya seemed to be worrying and knew why. She wasn't exactly outgoing and would be an easy target for bullies, it was something that they would all need to keep an eye on for her. Deciding that she needed cheering up, he decided to interrupt. "Well, Cap here can take care of the school stuff for now. Good thing that you want to stay, or what I'm about to show you will have been pretty useless." With that, he whisked her up off the chair and into the elevator.

"Now you are on the same floor as Natasha" he announced as he pressed the 19th floor button. As they stepped off the fast moving lift onto the floor, Tanaya looked around. They were in a pretty open hallway with a living area at the end of it (still spacious even though it was smaller than the one that they all shared) and two dorways on either side of the hall. Tony took her to the one on the left and gestured for Tanaya to enter, as she did her jaw dropped.

All the walls were painted a deep red colour, with a bed placed against the far wall of the spacious room. There was a glass desk with a Macbook set up on it on another wall with a large clock above it. All of this was impressive, but Tanaya quickly ran over to the object that caught her eye the most, the bookshelf. At home, she had only been able to place her books in whatever random shelves were free. This bookshelf was massive, and was already partly filled with… _No, how did he get these, _she thought to herself as her eyes filled with tears. With shaking hands, Tanaya reached out and gently picked up the dark wooden box before sinking down to sit on the floor, box resting on her legs.

_It could just be another set, it is not necessarily the same one, _Tanaya reminded herself as she lifted the lid off the box and looked at the novels neatly organised inside. Deciding that she needed to check for sure, she lifted out the first book _Dracula _and opened the cover. Handwritten inside was a small message:

_Happy Birthday Sam! I saw this collection months ago and_

_ immediately bought it for you. These books might help you_

_ when things are bad, I know how you prefer to take your _

_ mind off things. With all my love, always, _

_ Mum xx_

At reading this, Tanaya was overcome with emotion and burst into tears, startling Tony and making him run over to help her. "I decided to do a bit of digging, and found that this was sold to a pawn shop by your sister" he murmured, "I'm sorry if it has upset you. I can get rid of it if-"

"No! I love it, I just thought that I would never have anything to remember her by. She died a month after my birthday." Tony realised it was a sensitive topic, but needed to know more.

"What about you father? Or your sister?"

"My sister moved away to another city with my dad after mum died. They said that they needed to set things up before I could move in, but I never heard from them again." She sounded strangely accepting and calm about being abandoned, and Tony wanted to comfort her. He carefully lifted the box off her lap and pulled her into his arms "I am sorry, but they are both idiots for not wanting you in their lives. Your mum would be proud of you, any mother would." They stayed there for a long time, and Tanaya realised that this was not the best way to christen the new room. At least more memories were coming.


	9. Chapter 9

**'Disclaimer: **Don't own :)

* * *

With a sigh, Tanaya fixed her school tie. _Of course Steve had to choose a private school, now I definitely won't fit in. _turns out that being under the care of Tony Stark guaranteed her a spot in the Felix Academy. _God this is going to suck. _Her negative thoughts continued as she pulled on the cardigan provided, feeling like a pretentious idiot the whole time. She then walked off to the kitchen, butterflies having seizures in her stomach.

Inside, Clint was cooking bacon, eggs and hash browns while Natasha stood next to him, drinking black coffee and waiting patiently. They both looked up as Tanaya sat down on a bar stool, Clint barely hiding a smirk at the uniform.

"You look fine Tanaya, have some breakfast." Natasha soothed before pushing a plate towards her, which she dug into right away. They sat in tense silence as the minutes went by, Tanaya waiting for the time to be 8am so that her hell could start.

Eventually, she and Natasha were ready to go and where heading out the door when Tony sashayed into the room and said goodbye to her. After that, they both headed down to Tony's garage and took the least conspicuous car that he owned, an Alfa Romeo. Of course.

As they drove there, Tanaya couldn't stop nervously fiddling as her trepidation grew the closer they got to the school. Natasha noticed, but didn't really know what to say to make it better. Although she was not interested in what others thought, it was obvious that Tanaya got nervous easily and still wanted to be accepted by people. It was silent as they pulled up and part of Tanaya wanted to beg to stay inside the car. Instead, she took a deep breath, quickly said goodbye to Natasha and left the car before she could look too stupid.

_Steve must have mentioned the gloves _Tanaya thought as the principal took her through various rules and how the days would run, but didn't comment on them at all. She sat and nodded at various intervals, but didn't say anything unless specifically asked. It seemed as though Mr Dale preferred it like that too. Once he finished explaining the rules, another teacher named Mrs Finnigan whipped her away to her first class and soon she was sitting down in English class. It wasn't too bad, as Tanaya just sat quietly in the corner, writing notes and ignoring the stares that some people were giving her. Luckily, word hadn't gotten out that she lived at Stark Tower yet so people were only mildly curious.

Recess came and Tanaya sat alone. No one asked her to sit with them, and she didn't want to assume anything but it didn't bother her too much. Her old school was exactly like this, so at least she wasn't new to being alone. She didn't touch the food that she had brought with her, she could eat when she got home. The bell rang and Tanaya went off to the next lesson, maths.

As she was waiting outside the classroom, she saw a girl with curly brown hair walk up to stand next to her. There was a beat of awkward silence before the girl spoke in a cheerful voice,

"Hey! You're new, huh? My name's Shay!" Tanaya was stunned a bit by the bright smile aimed at her before recovering and introducing herself. "Yes, I'm new. I'm Sam." At hearing her speak, Shay's face lit up even more.

"You're Australian! That's so cool!" Tanaya did not agree with her on that, but just smiled as the girl went on. "We seem to be in the same maths class, hey? Awesome, I could use someone to talk to. All my friends are in other classes." When the teacher and other students arrived, Tanaya allowed Shay to drag her into a seat at the far side of the room which no one seemed to pay much attention to.

They both spent the lesson discovering what they had in common and laughing about their shared ineptitude with maths. After the double period ended, Shay invited Tanaya to sit with her at lunch.

"Thanks for the offer, but I learnt long ago that I don't do too well in groups. I'm happy to sit on my own, so don't worry about it." And she meant it, but as Shay reluctantly left, she realised that it felt nice to have the offer.

The rest of the day was more bearable, people left her alone (except for Shay, who would wave wildly whenever they saw each other) and by the time the last bell went, Tanaya couldn't wait to get home and collapse.

She walked out the front to where she was to be picked up and looked for the car that Nat dropped her off in. Tanaya frowned when she couldn't see it. People around her were talking excitedly whilst looking off at something, so she decided to kill time and see what the fuss was about.

"What is he doing here?"

"Look at the car!"

Following the mutterings, Tanaya saw what they were looking at. At the same time that the object of everyone's attention saw her.

Tony waved subtly at her, and she pushed her way through the people to get to him. Everyone staring at her was a distinctly uncomfortable feeling, and she hurried to get into the convertible that he had brought. _Of course._

Tony quickly hopped in too, and sped off. "So, Naya, how was your first day?" Tanaya didn't question the nickname, she rather liked it. "It was fine, kept to myself mostly. Not too different from my old school." _But in my old school, people didn't know me as being under the care of a billionaire. _She thought to herself.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **Don't own

* * *

Tony went off to his workroom as soon as they got back and Tanaya went to the living room where Natasha was sitting, writing in a book. She pretended not to notice her presence, which didn't fool Tanaya since Tony had already mentioned the skills that Nat had when it came to being a spy. Natasha looked up and smiled "How was your day? I'm sorry that I didn't come to pick you up, Tony insisted that he would do it."

"Well, people left me alone which suits me fine." Tanaya said tonelessly. "Well, that doesn't mean you can't admire people from afar. Seen any guys?" Natasha seemed to be trying very hard to ask appropriate questions, _might as well tell her now._

"No guys, they aren't my type." She took a deep breath and held it as she waited for a response. Surprisingly, Natasha wasn't fazed. "Well, any girls then?" she asked before adding, "It's fine with me." Tanaya exhaled and grinned, relieved, before sitting on the couch with Natasha. "Maybe one, not sure yet." She said thinking of Shay. It was way too early for any definite attraction, but she couldn't help but admire her. From afar, of course.

After they talked for awhile, Tanaya went off to read in her room and Natasha walked up to the war room. Once she got there, she asked JARVIS to lock the door and warn her if someone was coming, that out of the way she quickly dialled Fury. As is face came on the screen, Natasha immediately started talking, "the girl shows some signs of mental instability, and is scarred by the death of her mother. No appearance of turning against the team or SHIELD." Her voice was devoid of any emotion, and Fury nodded, satisfied. Natasha continued, relaying all the conversations that she had with Tanaya and pushing down the guilt threatening to make an appearance. She knew that SHIELD would find another way of spying on Tanaya anyway, and at least this way she could stay on top of what they know. This was better for Tanaya", she told herself.

* * *

When Tanaya went to school the next day, things were obviously different. People were trying to talk to her and sit with her, which made no sense. They were happy to ignore her yesterday, what could have change-. _Oh, _she thought, _they know that I live with Tony Stark. Well I am not being friends with people who only care about that._

She looked forward to maths and seeing Shay though, but realised that she would treat her differently as well. Now dreading the lesson, Tanaya dragged herself to the desk she had sat at the day before and waited.

Shay stumbled in late and sat down next to her, giving her a smile that was just as cheerful as the one she had gotten yesterday. "Hey! My friends wanted you to sit with us at lunch, but I should let you know that it is because of the whole Tony Stark thing." Well she was straight forward. "Thanks for letting me know, I think I'll leave it." Shay nodded and they turned to do the work set for them.

Tanaya sat down alone for lunch as usual and was starting to read Dracula when she sensed someone near her, looking up to see Shay sitting next to her. There was a beat of silence before Shay started talking about a random topic, giving Tanaya no choice but to accept her presence.

That afternoon no one came to pick Tanaya up. She sat outside the school as everyone left except her, realising that she had no phone and therefore no way of calling anyone. This was embarrassing. Maybe there was a legitimate reason, and attack or something. Tanaya went inside the school and borrowed a phone, then remembered that she had no idea what anyone's number was so settled for calling a directory and asking for Stark Industries. After a painful 10 minutes of trying to convince the receptionist that she needed Tony, and that she knew him, they finally transferred her to someone else.

"Hello, this is Miss Potts speaking."

This was good, Tony had mentioned this woman before.

"Hi Miss Potts, my name is Tanaya an-" she began to explain, but was interrupted, "Tanaya? As in the Tanaya staying with Tony? Pleasure to meet you, what do you need?" Miss Potts seemed nice, and Tanaya explained the problem.

"Oh, that oaf. Just because Mr lightning decided to visit does not mean that he can forget about you. Don't worry sweetie, a car is coming for you now." Tanaya quickly thanked her and went back outside. In no time, a black car pulled up and she hopped in.

As she approached the kitchen, she heard cheerful voices and booming laughter. Tanaya tried not to feel hurt at being forgotten and instead calmly opened the door. Tony saw her and paled, and everyone stopped talking except for a man who appeared to be in some sort of armour.

"And then Lady Sif-" he was stopped by Natasha and looked expectantly at them all, before resting his eyes on Tanaya.

"Shit! Tanaya I am so sorry!" Tony said, running up to her. "How did you get back here? And why didn't you call us?"

"Well, I don't have a phone and don't know your numbers. I managed to call your work and talked to Miss Potts who sent a car for me." No one knew what to say and sat stricken with guilt.

Luckily Thor had no sense of awkwardness and started talking. "You must be the man of iron's young charge! Lady Tanaya, I am Thor Odinson! Please accept my seat and have a meal. The Hawk is a brilliant cook, as you surely know." Tanaya smiled at him and sat down, slightly bewildered by him. Eventually, the others came up and apologised before joining her in some dinner. Tony inwardly cringed at the thought of the lecture he would get from Pepper now. He did deserve it though.

* * *

Review if you like!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **Only Tanaya is mine :)

* * *

Thor was a big presence in the Stark Tower, and his booming laugh made a daily appearance in their lives. Tanaya would often walk into a room to find him hunched over an electronic device, eyes squinting and fingers fumbling to use it properly. Any attempt to help in would result in nothing but a headache for everyone involved except Thor himself, who wasn't deterred by anything. There was no real explanation given for why he turned up, but now that he had, it was impossible to imagine him gone.

Natasha walked towards Tanaya's room, holding a starkphone in her hand. Tony had immediately decided that she needed one after the issue at her school and had programmed all of their numbers into it for safety. Natasha had also added something of her own, which she hoped would go unnoticed by Tanaya. The Starkphone was ridiculously difficult to bug, but she managed. Fury was demanding regular updates, but Natasha made sure not to disclose everything that she found out about Tanaya, and didn't want to think about what would happen if she ever found out. _There must be some way to stop, maybe I can convince him that she is completely harmless, _she thought to herself as she opened the door.

Inside, Tanaya was lying on her stomach on the floor, reading Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde intently. She put the book down when she saw Natasha and greeted her with a smile.

"Hey! What's up?" Natasha smiled back before holding out the phone, "Tony wanted you to have this, probably wanted to avoid another incident." Tanaya lit up as she saw the phone, and immediately started fiddling with the settings. Smiling fondly, Natasha said goodbye and walked out of the room, immediately going into her own and checking that everything was set to record Tanaya's conversations. There wouldn't be many to record though, and Natasha felt guilty for being glad that Tanaya had no friends.

Later that night, everyone was gathered in the living room after dinner for "game night". After a heated debate, Monopoly was chosen. After 10 minutes was spent explaining to Thor what an iron was, they started the game. Tony was the best player, quickly scoring all the expensive properties then waiting patiently for everyone to have to pay rent. Steve was not tough enough when enforcing his rent on others, especially Tanaya, and the game was ended abruptly when Thor demanding that he is able to break out of jail. Then it got messy.

The argument was still raging half an hour later, and was now centred on Thor's frustration with modern technology. Both he and Tony were now yelling as loud as they could, with everyone else trying to ignore them. It was all too loud for Tanaya, and reminded her of the arguments the scientists used to have about what implants to give her. She needed some air desperately, and by the looks of it, so did Bruce (who looked nervous at the loud voices).

Tanaya walked over to him, and attempted to talk over the noise, "Do you want to go for a walk with me? It must be quieter outside." He nodded in agreement and they left the room, going into the elevator and down to the ground floor. Bruce looked around, as he wasn't used to leaving the tower, as they walked towards a nearby park. As it was night time, it was deserted, and Tanaya propped herself up against a tree and watched Bruce as he paced.

"You seemed pretty stressed in there, are you ok?" she asked. "Well, when I get angry, the hulk decides to come out. I have to be careful when there are disagreements, used to avoiding them usually. What about you? You wanted to leave pretty quickly." He responded.

"Well, I was used to the scientists arguing about what they wanted to do to me next, and I can't stand fights now." Bruce nodded, and they began talking about their various experiences, realising that they had a lot in common. An hour later, they were ready to go back home when a group of men came into the park. "What are you two doing out so late? Wait, you look familiar." The biggest man said, pointing at Bruce. One of the others spoke up ,"That's that man that turns into the green guy, Dan. Let's get him to show us how it works!"

Bruce began to shake, so Tanaya placed a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. Noticing this, Dan raced forward and grabbed Tanaya, punching her in the face before addressing Bruce, who was trying his best to calm down. "Come on man, we wanna see you turn! Hit him guys!" the two others ran forward and started punching Bruce. Tanaya watched as, roughly 5 seconds later, an almighty roar rang out through the park and Bruce started changing in front of her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Tanaya felt numb as she saw the Hulk for the first time in person. He gave off an aura of uncontrollable strength, and she refused to blame Bruce for anything that happened next. Which was a good thing. The hulk immediately lashed out at the two men closest to him, throwing them across the park, where they hit a tree with a dull thud and flopped to the ground motionless. He then turned to Tanaya and Dan, who let go of her immediately and tried to run.

The green guy hurtled after him, Tanaya running behind, desperate to stop him from doing something that Bruce would blame himself for. As the hulk had Dan pinned to the fence of the park, Tanaya ran between them and stretched her arms out.

"Bruce! You don't want to do this! Calm down!" The Hulk only growled in response before reaching out and grabbing Tanaya (giving Dan a chance to run away). He brought her up to his eye level and peered intently at her, seemingly curious.

Tanaya gulped nervously but held his gaze, hoping that minimal movement would help her In some way. After a while, Hulk huffed and poked her face with a big finger. Tanaya winced, his strength meant that she would definitely get a bruise but tried talking to him.

"Hulk, let me down please." After a moment pause, he did, staring intently at her all the while.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Avengers had recovered from the argument and were sitting around when they got a call from Fury.

"Would someone like to tell me how the hell the Hulk has been reported loose in the city? I want this dealt with." He barked at them when they answered his call, and they quickly suited up.

"Um, wasn't Tanaya with Bruce?" Tony asked, which made the others hurry even more as they rushed to his last known location.

Running into the park, nothing prepared them for what they saw. The Hulk was sitting cross legged in front of Tanaya, who was sitting in a similar position. He seemed to be listening as she sung a lullaby to him, and his breathing was getting calmer.

They watched, stunned, as he started turning back into Bruce (with Tanaya averting her eyes from his nudity)and once it was safe, they all rushed forward. Tony patted Tanaya on the back and asked if she was ok, before commenting on her "taming of the green beast" whilst Natasha took one of her shaking hands and stroked it soothingly.

Steve and Clint helped Bruce up, handing him the spare clothes that they had taken for him and guarding him whilst he put them on. Thor strode over to Tanaya and loudly exclaimed, "You have shown great valour Lady Tanaya!" and beamed down at her. Soon, they were all back in the living room drinking hot chocolates and relaxing. Bruce was extremely jittery and wouldn't look Tanaya in the eyes for more than a second before looking away, and Tanaya was simply grateful that all she had were a few bruises on her face.

She confronted Bruce as he tried to escape the room, "what is wrong?" she asked.  
"You know what's wrong" seeing her confused face, he elaborated, "I hurt you. I am a menace." He tried to walk away again, but Tanaya stopped him. "You are not a menace, and you didn't hurt me. These bruises are from the men that YOU stopped from hurting me."

"None of them are from me?" he seemed hopeful, and Tanaya deliberately lied. "None. You did nothing but help me and respond when you were provoked. It was not your fault in anyway."

This seemed to comfort Bruce, and he smiled at her before retiring to his lab (where he hoped to stay for a long time). Satisfied, Tanaya walked back into the living room and was immediately addressed by Tony. "Why didn't you use the emergency signal device?" Oops, the thought hadn't even crossed her mind, "Um, I didn't really think about it. Kinda forgot."

"What if you had been hurt? What if you were injured by him? You scared me." The last part was almost whispered, and everyone stared at Tony, shocked.

After an awkward pause, Tony cleared his throat and continued "I am glad that you are ok, but signal if there are any more issues that you have, ok?" with that he left the room, and JARVIS helpfully mentioned that it was now midnight.

"You should be in bed Tanaya! You have school tomorrow!" Steve chastised her, ushering her to her room. Tanaya got changed into a baggy shirt and pants before settling into bed and trying to think of a decent excuse for her bruises. _Oh well, it's not like anyone is going to ask me._


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **Don't own

* * *

"Shit! How did you get those bruises?" Shay exclaimed as soon as Tanaya stepped into maths the next day. _So much for not being noticed, _Tanaya thought.

"Well, I was re-organising my bookshelf and the top row of books fell down onto my face. Pretty impressive thing to manage, in my opinion." Shay seemed to buy it, and moved onto another topic pretty quickly.

"Hey, you are going to need to catch up on everything important that you've missed in maths, aren't you? I can help you if you want." Shay seemed uncharacteristically nervous, and Tanaya was trying not to sound too eager when she replied. "Yeah, that would be great, if you are offering" Shay nodded happily and they finally turned their attention back to maths. Tanaya kept stealing sideways glances at Shay, realizing just how much she had already fallen for her.

"So, why aren't you sitting next to your friends anymore?" Tanaya asked that lunchtime, she had been feeling guilty about taking Shay away from her friends.

"Well, to be honest, they are pretty bitchy and way too obsessed with fitting in. I was always a bit too weird for them to understand." Tanaya simply nodded and they both went back to eating their lunch. They decided to stay after school and work in the library, so Tanaya sent a quick message to Natasha and tried in vain to stop her growing excitement.

Tanaya and Shay sat closely in the library after school, as Shay talked her through the things she had missed.

"Excuse me ladies! The library is closing and I do not want to stay any longer than I must, so please pack up and leave!" The shrill voice of the librarian interrupted them half way through the work. She continued to look disdainfully at them both as they packed up as quickly as possible. "Yes Mrs Hale, we are going now-" Shay attempted to say before she was interrupted. "It's MISS Hale! Now go!"

Shay cringed once they got outside, "I, uh, forgot that she and her husband got a divorce recently. Obviously it's still a sore subject."

"You know, maybe next time we should to the work at my place. I'm sure Tony won't mind," Tanaya suggested. Shay looked shocked, then horrified. "No, I don't want you to think that the only reason for me helping you is to meet Tony Stark. Maybe we should do it at mine."

"No. I insist that we do it at my place, I know that you are genuine. Please"

Shay finally agreed, and they both waited together to be picked up, Natasha arrived first, and Tanaya reluctantly left Shay. As she was opening the car door though, Shay ran up and pushed a piece of paper into her hand and whispered in her ear, "call me tonight." Tanaya blushed and stuffed the paper into her pocket as she hopped into the car.

Natasha raised her eyebrows as they drove off, "Want to explain what that was?" She asked, amused.

"That was Shay. She was helping me catch up on work I missed." Tanaya said with attempted nonchalance. "And?" Natasha prompted, "And she just gave me her number."

"And?"

"And I may have a huge crush on her now." Natasha nodded, satisfied. "Are you going to tell the others? They won't mind."

"I think so, eventually. I have to ask Tony if Shay can come over to study sometime soon." Once again, Natasha nodded and continued driving back to the tower.

Arriving there, Tanaya went straight to the workroom to talk to Tony, finding him fixing his armour once again. "Hey Tony, can I ask a question?" Tony looked up and nodded, smiling at her. "Is it ok if my friend comes over here to study after school sometimes? She's trustworthy."

"Of course, what's her name?" Tony responded.

"Shay." Tanaya said with a smile, remembering the number in her pocket. Tony nodded once more, and went back to work smiling to himself.

After dinner, Tanaya was sitting on the floor with her back against her bed, fiddling with her phone in one hand and the piece of paper in another. _What if she is busy? What will we talk about?_ Taking a deep breath, she dialed the number and listened as it rang. Shay picked up on the second ring, sounding out of breath "Hello?"

"Hey Shay, it's me. Tanaya." Shay responded quickly, "I'm glad you called! I really enjoyed this arvo, have you asked about me coming over there sometime?" Tanaya smiled, and started talking to her.

Natasha opened the door to Tanaya's room, ready to ask if she wanted to join them all in a movie when she found her on the phone.

"You haven't played an Xbox before? Why not? Never mind, you must come play it with me sometime!" Natasha smiled and backed out of the room before she was noticed, then went to the guys in the living room and announced, "She is talking to a friend, so she won't be joining us." Most of them just nodded and continued to stare at the screen, but Natasha saw Tony smile at her, and returned it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **Don't own :(

**A/N: **Sorry for the massive break! I had exams and assignments, hope you enjoy this! Feedback would be great!

* * *

Before Tanaya knew it, a few months had passed and everything had settled into a routine for her. Natasha took her to school every day, unless there was an "Avengers Emergency", in which case an employee of Tony would take her instead. Her relationship with Shay had continued to improve, and Tanaya was the happiest she had ever been since her mum died. This meant, of course, that it all had to go to shit.

She and Shay were waiting together after school, with Shay seeming more nervous than usual. "Hey, I was just wondering…" Tanaya was concerned, Shay wasn't a hesitant person normally, but she tried to hide this as she waited patiently for her to continue. "Would you like to go out sometime? As in, on a date?" Immediately, a huge smile took over Tanaya's face. "Yes, I'd love that" she all but whispered. This emboldened Shay, and after a moment of indecision, she lent in and softly pressed her lips to Tanaya's.

Tanaya was giddy with happiness and returned the kiss immediately, bringing up a hand to rest behind Shay's neck. Shay pulled away gently, breaking the kiss before smiling softly at Tanaya "Natasha will be here to pick you up soon, how about we go out tonight? I'll pick you up at 7?" Tanaya nodded in agreement, and waited quietly for Natasha to come. When she did, Tanaya waved bye to Shay and quickly got into the car.

"Shay asked me out on a date." She quickly stated before Natasha could say anything. "And we kissed." A blush formed on her face when she said that, and Tanaya anxiously waited for Natasha's reply.

"Well, it's a good thing we got you those nice clothes. I'm happy for you, Tanaya." This got her a quick smile, and they continued to drive home in a comfortable silence. Before they got out of the car, Tanaya spoke up. "Can you get all of the guys to get together at the living room? I want to tell them all." Natasha nodded and sent a message.

"They'll be there by the time we are."

Tanaya took a deep breath as the lift took them to the floor, shoving her trembling hands into her pockets. Natasha looked at her sympathetically then led her into the living room, quickly placing herself onto a couch. Tanaya stood in front of everyone as they looked expectantly at her, having already organised themselves.

"Natasha said that we were going to be told something. What's up? Are you ok?" Tony quickly said.

"I'm fine," Tanaya responded reassuringly, "I just wanted to let everyone know that I was asked out on a date for tonight!" Everyone smiled happily at her, and Thor boomed,

"That is great news Lady Tanaya! When shall we meet this gentleman?"

"I am actually going out with a girl. Her name is Shay; she's the one that I've been studying with." Tanaya continued timidly now.

Tony was the first to speak up, "well, that doesn't change a thing! As long as she isn't a psycho, there are no problems here!" Clint simply nodded in agreement, along with Bruce and Natasha.

"I am sure that whatever lady has successfully caught young Tanaya's attention is quite the woman!" Thor happily said. Tanaya breathed a sigh of relief, and then turned to Steve, asking for approval silently. She didn't get it.

"You're dating another girl? How is that ok?" He stormed up to Tanaya and pushed her roughly against the wall. At this, the other Avengers quickly rushed forward in concern.

"Is this another freakish addition that came from the experiments? Did they make you a dyke? Answer me!" Everyone seemed shocked at this outburst, and finally both Clint and Thor pulled Steve away. Bruce stood in the corner, eyes closed and breathing deeply and everyone else turned to look at Tanaya.

Tears were streaming down her face as she held her hand over her mouth. Giving a disbelieving look to Steve, she sprinted off into the elevator, not wanting to stay in the building any longer than necessary. Clint followed silently after her after sharing a look with Natasha; he would make sure that she was safe wherever she decided to go. Everyone else turned their attention to Steve, who was staring at his hands sadly. Looking up, he addressed them. "Ok, I know that I was out of control. It was just a shock, and I get that I may have been too harsh-"

He gave a cry of surprise as Natasha interrupted him with a punch to his face.

"I never thought that I would say this but you, Steve Rogers are an enormous asshole!" With that, she walked off to the lobby, intent on waiting for Tanaya's return.

"Shit Cap, I knew you were uptight, but this… Fuck" Tony contributed shaking his head. "Bruce, you may want to come with me. I'm sure neither of us wants to deal with another Hulk out right now." With that, they both left the room silently leaving Steve alone with Thor, who was looking mournfully at Steve.

"Sir Rogers, I expected more from you, and I am sure that Tanaya did too. You have much to ponder." He too, walked off. Steve sat heavily on a nearby couch. _I know I overreacted, I was just shocked. But I said some unforgivable things, and I am not sure whether or not I can face Tanaya just yet. I will apologise. Eventually._


End file.
